First Day of the Rest of their Lives
by carajiggirl
Summary: While out at lunch with the rest of the team 9 month pregnant Kensi finds herself in the middle of a hostage situation. Will she and her baby make it out alive? Who is with her to get her through?
1. Hot Pancakes

**A/N: Sorry this is so short, but it's my first attempt at Fanfiction and I wanted to test out the waters. Please bear with me!**

**I do NOT own NCIS LA or any of the characters, though it would be totally cool if I did! :)**

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><p>She opened her eyes and smiled as her gaze swept over his unkempt hair and presently snoring mouth. He stirred as her hand caressed his face, yet his mind faded back to dreamland. She laid there, soaking in the sunlight that streamed through the cracks in the blinds. Silence permeated the room as she found herself slowly slipping back to dreamland too. She nestled into the blankets and made herself comfortable again as she slowly drifted back to sleep.<p>

This, however, lasted for only a few minutes as the pressure on her bladder grew so fierce she couldn't fight it anymore.

"_Oh bother it all",_ she thought while pushing back the covers. Swinging her feet around she awkwardly heaved herself out of bed. Doing her best to tip-toe, she quietly shuffled down the hall to the bathroom door. Suddenly she paused, mid shuffle, grasping her abdomen with a wince.

"You okay Kensi?" came a voice still filled with sleep.

_"Ugh, and after I tried my hardest not to wake him up"_ she thought to herself with a sigh. The team had finally caught a break in their case the day before and Deeks hadn't made it home until 0200 this morning. He loved his sleep, and since he had gotten so little of it that night Kensi didn't want to disturb him so early this morning.

"This little peanut of yours is quite the kicker" she said with a grin as she turned to face her husband. He had jumped out of bed and was making his way towards her.

"You're sure you're fine?" he said as he laid a kiss on her forehead.

"As long as the urgent and untimely necessity to pee isn't a catastrophe, I'm fine. Now quit worrying about me, go get some sleep. I don't want a cranky man on my hands today." And with that she walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

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><p>Kensi emerged from the bathroom and slowly made her descent down the stairs. The kitchen was her ultimate destination, no, make that her <em>normal<em> destination at all times of the day. At least this morning she could kill two birds with one stone and take care of her sleep deprived husband while feeding the craving that had been intensifying all night. This craving, unlike her other ones, was perfectly normal. All she wanted was a short stack of warm golden pancake covered with glossy brown maple syrup. She could smell the delicious pancakes as she pictured them in her mind, which only made her stomach growl loudly.

However, it occurred to her that the aroma wasn't just coming from her daydream, and that the smell of pancakes was presently filling the house. She rounded the corner to see Deeks standing over the stove flipping pancakes like it was his day job. She walked behind him and slipped her hands around his waist.

"Honey, I was just on my way down to start breakfast. Why don't you let me finish and you can grab a few more minutes of shut-eye." Deeks turned around and wrapped her into a hug.

"What kind of man would I be if I sat back and watched my pregnant wife do all the cooking? You are the one who should be getting rest Kenz, you could pop that kid out any day now! Besides you look like crap." He began to regret his last selection of words and as he glanced at her scrunched up face. Trying to dig himself out of the hole he now found himself in, he continued. "I…I mean you look exhausted. Baby not let you get much sleep last night?"

Kensi ignored his stupid comment and focused on the answer to his question. Now that he mentioned it she was feeling like crap. The baby found her relaxed sleeping state an excellent atmosphere to practice gymnastics in and although she was glad the baby was growing, she really desired a peaceful night of sleep for once. Knowing that wouldn't come until after the baby was born and started sleeping through the night, Kensi let out a deep sigh. Deeks took her reaction as the answer to his question and pointed out the stool under the kitchen island.

"Get off your feet Kenz and let me do the cooking." He turned back to the stove and couldn't help but chuckle to himself as out of the corner of his eye he saw his wife struggle to hoist her body up onto the tall barstool. Pausing from the task at hand he walked over to her, bowed and the waist, and with the flourish of his hand said "Mademoiselle." Kensi rolled her eyes but accepted his hand as she rested herself on the stool.

"How'd you know I wanted pancakes anyway?" she asked as he took the last ones off the griddle.

"You talk in your sleep Kenz, you wouldn't shut up about these darn pancakes all night!"

She gave a little smirk but was too hungry to be totally embarrassed. As the first stack of pancakes found their way to the plate in front of her Kensi delicately poured the warm maple syrup on top. Yet again she was grateful that she finally gained back her appetite for breakfast, and as the delicious scent made its way to her nose she thought _"This must be what heaven is like._"

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><p><strong>AN: So there is my first chapter! Hopefully I'll have the will power to continue writing; this is the first time I've attempted anything like this! Please review and tell me what you think! :)**


	2. Gazes

**A/N: Sorry this is such a short chapter. I have more scenes written, but I wanted to get this up here for you all. Thanks for the encouraging reviews! They spurred me to continue and work on some areas that needed tweaking. :)**

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><p>"You sure you can't go in later? I mean you guys had such a late night, a few hours won't hurt." Kensi called from the living room. Deeks walked into the room a few seconds later dressed and ready to head back to the office.<p>

"What and get the crap teased out of me by Callen and Sam? Do you think I joined the team yesterday?" Deeks joked back. He made a pit stop in the kitchen to wash the dishes from breakfast, a job he insisted Kensi not do. With that task done, he retraced his steps towards the living room and leaned up against the door jamb watching his beautiful bride now dozing on the chaise lounge. He must have been right; she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. She looked so peaceful lying there with her head to the side and arms casually resting on her baby bump. Deeks thought she looked gorgeous.

He stood there and thought about the last nine months. He had been warned in the beginning about the extreme moodiness that pregnancy brought and braced himself as he thought about dealing with a hormonal Kensi Blye. He was pretty sure the whole team felt a little sympathetic towards his plight. He had every right to brace himself; when Kensi had a bad day the whole team knew it, heck the whole world knew it. But she also had days when she was more in touch with her emotions and showed her heart on her sleeve; a drastically different person than the Kensi Blye he had grown to love, and marry.

He hoped today would be a good day, and he figured the odds were on his side seeing as she didn't bite his head off when he said she looked like crap. That normally would have caused an emotional volcano that resulted in an hour's worth of damage control, _if_ he was lucky. However, she didn't even react to his comment this morning, which honestly surprised Deeks. _"Is she feeling okay?"_ he thought with a smirk.

A quick glance at the clock and Deeks knew he should get going. With Kensi this late in the pregnancy he hated leaving her for extended amounts of time. He offered to take time off and stay with her, but Kensi would have none of it. Being away from the team would be hard enough; having to spend all her time with Deeks would be torturous.

Kensi stirred and opened her eyes as though she could feel Deeks's stare boring into her.

"Are you planning on standing there all day? I'm _so_ glad you yearn to spend all your waking hours with me instead of with Callen and Sam." She said with sarcasm dripping from her mouth.

"Hey, I offered to stay with you." He replied, hands out defensively. "You, Madame, are the one who turned _me_ down."

"Whatever." She said with a roll of her eyes.

Deeks bent down to plant a good-bye kiss on her cheek, Kensi leaning in with a smile.

"We're still getting together for lunch with the team, right?" she asked as his head pulled away from hers.

"That's the plan" He replied as he reached for his keys. Making his way to the door he added, "I'll be by to pick you up. Call you when I'm on the way?"

"No, I can meet"

Deeks cut her off. "I _want_ to pick you up. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

Kensi wasn't going to go down without a fight, but as soon as she started to open her mouth again Deeks blew her a kiss and flew out the door. _"Jerk!"_ she thought, all the while knowing that he did it out of love. She glanced around the room not knowing what to do next; lunch with the team could not come soon enough.

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><p><strong>AN: Like I said, sorry for the short chapter. I am excited to continue though!**

**Thanks again for all the reviews! I would _LOVE_ to hear your thoughts on this chapter and please let me know if I can improve on anything! :)**


	3. Papers and Pretzels

**A/N Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in updating. I've been fiddling around with two possible paths to take the story and it has obviously taken FOR-EV-ER for me to make up my mind. Hopefully I don't regret the choice I made! :)**

**Thanks for all the reviews! They mean a lot-I really do love to hear your feedback!**

**I tried to make this one a bit longer! Hope you enjoy! 3**

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><p>Deeks walked under the archway to the squad room and was greeted by the stares of his co-workers.<p>

"Look who finally decided to come into work today." Sam said with a smirk.

"I'm pretty sure he still has sleep in his eyes." returned Callen, glancing up from the file in his hands.

"Wow, really guys? Really?" Deeks complained as he plopped his bag onto the desk. "I'll have you know I'm only a few minutes late."

"Make that 15 minutes and you'd be right on track Mr. Deeks." His coworkers snickered as Deeks jumped at the sound of Hetty's voice. He turned and saw her standing underneath the archway. "Let's not waste more time, there are plenty of papers that need to be filled out and put back in their necessary homes." she said, drawing his attention to the stack of files on his desk. Deeks slumped into his chair and Hetty turned, leaving as quickly as she had appeared.

"_I would have wasted more time getting here if I knew we'd be doing paperwork."_ Deeks thought to himself with a grimace. He reached for the top file and opened it up with disgust, slowly bringing it towards himself as though it contained a deadly disease.

"It's not going to kill you." came Sam's voice from the chair beside him.

"That's easy for you to say" Deeks retorted as he picked up his pen and started writing.

A couple dozen files later Deeks's cellphone started ringing on the desk in front of him. Noting the caller ID he hit the talk button and answered.

"Hey Sweetcheeks."

"What did I tell you about calling me that?" came her annoyed reply.

"Eh, that I shouldn't…and I'm pretty sure you added a threat in there somewhere too, I just can't remember what." And exasperated sigh came from the other end of the line. "Won't do it again?" he added, hoping to get back on her good side.

"Doubt it." came her sarcastic reply. "So, how has your morning been so far?"

Deeks sat back in his chair until two of the feet were off the ground. "Hetty has us doing paperwork this morning and Sam thinks I'm being melo-dramatic." he answered with a roll of his eyes.

"That's because he is, Kenz." Sam called out from his chair.

Kensi laughed as she heard the comment. "Well you must be enjoying yourself then, honey, since we ALL know just how much you _love_ to do paperwork." she said jokingly.

Deeks let out a sigh. "It was only that one time when—" he paused and could tell she really wasn't listening. In a tender, more serious voice he asked, "Is everything okay Kenz?"

"Oh, everything's fine. I managed to straighten up the living room and the bedroom so far."

"You've been cleaning?" Deeks asked, astonished.

"Yeah, there was nothing much else to do." Kensi admitted, before pausing to get to the real reason she called. "You know that cinnamon and sugar covered pretzel you brought home last week?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well…nothing, accept the fact that I could _really_ go for one now. Can you _please_ tell me where you got it?"

Deeks smiled to himself. "The Pretzel Hut kiosk in the mall."

"Great! Thanks babe."

Deeks could sense a tinge of excitement in her voice. "Is that _all_ you needed honey?"

"That's it. Think I might be making a trip to the mall this morning." She said, grinning ear to ear.

Deeks chuckled. "I figured you would. Drive safely, okay? Love you."

"Love you too."

He hung up the phone and laid it back on his desk, right next to the still-huge pile of folders to be processed. Deeks let out a loud groan; it was definitely going to be a long day.

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><p>Kensi entered the house laden with bags of all sorts. What had been a simple trip to the Pretzel Hut kiosk in the mall turned into a full-blown shopping expedition as Kensi passed the baby store and noticed there was a sale on clothing. Though it wasn't what she had originally gone for, Kensi couldn't resist the adorable baby outfits on display.<p>

Now home she slowly made her way to the living room and plopped the bags down one by one. The fusion of energy she felt earlier had clearly dissipated as she massaged her lower back in circles with a sigh. She shook her head as though she didn't even want to think about unpacking the bags and headed up the stairs towards the bedroom instead.

After a necessary pit stop in the bathroom she rounded the corner to the bedroom and scanned the bookshelf on the far side of the room. "Why did I let him put these here?" she asked aloud with a sigh as she looked through the bookshelf, seeing only Deeks' law books. She vaguely remembered allowing Deeks to store his books from law school, which of course it hadn't been a problem until now. Kensi looked longingly towards the stairs; should she go back to the living room and retrieve a book she'd enjoy or just suck it up and scan through one of his.

She decided she was just going to go with the later and after choosing one that didn't look too boring she gently lowered herself onto the crisp, cool bed. Once the pillows were scrunched and a comfortable position was reached she stretched out and rested the book on her protruding stomach. The first few paragraphs were actually quite interesting, but by the time she reached the third page her eyelids slowly drooped closed. The book fell to the floor as her body relaxed and she drifted off to sleep.

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><p>Maybe a hour or so passed when a high pitched ring filled the room. Instinctively Kensi pulled the cellphone from her pocket and held it to her ear, eyes still closed. Since she didn't automatically answer the voice on the other end grew concerned.<p>

"Kensi?"

"Yeah?" she mumbled, still half asleep.

"Hey Baby."

Kensi smiled when she recognized the soothing voice to be her husbands.

"Sorry to wake you."

"It's okay, I shouldn't have fallen asleep anyway. It was your darn textbook's fault." she replied, now rubbing her eyes and forcing them to open. With a glance towards the clock she continued. "You on your way to pick me up?"

"That's why I called." Deeks paused, not fully sure how Kensi would react towards his message. "Hetty gave us a break from paperwork and sent Sam and I as back-up to help another team pick up their witness. I thought we'd be back in time for me to swing by and pick you up, but it turns out we won't."

Though her face saddened, Kensi didn't miss a beat. "Will you be able to make it to lunch at all? Can I just meet you there?"

Deeks breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Sam and I are on our way back now so we can meet you and Callen at the restaurant."

"Callen and I?" Kensi asked, a bit confused.

"Yeah he volunteered to come pick you up since I couldn't."

"Oh no, he doesn't have to. I'll just meet you all there."

"It's okay Kenz, he offered and I couldn't say no. He's on his way now so I wanted to give you a heads up."

"That was nice of him." Kensi took a deep breath to clear away the sleepy fog in the back of her mind. "Okay I'll get ready to go." she continued as she sat up.

Deeks could hear a slight groan and pictured Kensi pushing herself off the bed. "I'm sorry I can't pick you up honey, but I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll see you at the restaurant." Kensi replied as her spirits began to pick up again. "Love you babe."

"Love you too."

And with that Kensi headed to the bathroom to freshen up, and to pee for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

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><p>"Callen!" Greeted Kensi as she threw open the door.<p>

"Hey Kenz, how ya doing?" he replied as he studied her features. Sure, she was a bit bigger than the last time he saw her, but that was to be expected. When he didn't expect to see were her tired eyes and the dark bags that encircled them. Still, her voice was chipper so Deeks must have been right; Kensi was having a good day.

"I'm feeling huge," she answered with a groan, "but other than that fine! Come on in, I just have to grab my bag." Callen followed her inside as she made her way to the kitchen to grab her purse lying on the counter.

He gazed past her and into the living room where shopping bags were strewn about. "Been shopping today?" he asked, smirking. "I thought you only went shopping when you had guy problems…wait a second, did Deeks sleep on the sofa last night?" he asked, taunting her with a twinkle in his eye.

"No, he didn't" she said indignantly. "Can't a girl go shopping just to release some steam?" she answered meekly, easing the purse strap onto her shoulder.

"Yeah, unless she buys the whole store! Is there anything left at Baby-Rama?"

"Oh shut up." She said with a swat to his shoulder. Callen was getting ready to retort when he saw Kensi freeze in her tracks and grasp the counter beneath her.

"Kenz, you okay?" he asked as he stepped closer.

Head hung low, she mumbled "Mmmhmmm" while grasping her stomach. Callen took her arm and guided her back to the stool beside her.

Kensi shook him off. "No, I'm fine. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" He began to search her face for assurance.

"Yeah…they're just …Braxton hicks." She continued once her body relaxed. "I've been having them the past few days. I'm fine, really."

Now he realized why Deeks was so hesitant to leave her. Noting Kensi's embarrassment Callen attempted to lighten the mood a bit. "Oh is that all? I thought it was just Karma getting you back for hitting me."

"Oh, don't you wish" Kensi replied with a slight grin on her face. "Let's get going." she continued, ready to forget what had just happened. Callen opened the front door and Kensi lead the duo out of the house.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so there it is! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and PLEASE remember to review! :)**


	4. Steak, Directions, and Parking Meters

**A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well!**

**So I'm updating a little earlier than planned because I got some awesome reviews last night which spurred me to get over my writer's block!**

**We're getting down to business in this chapter, I hope you enjoy! :)**

**(Think I forgot to put this on the last few chapters but in case anyone has doubts I DO NOT own NCIS: LA...though it would be pretty epic if I did)**

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><p>Callen smiled as he pulled the keys out of the ignition. It had been a smooth ride over as the partners caught up on life. With the car now in park, Kensi opened her door and attempted to swing herself out of the car.<p>

"Slow down there Kenz, the restaurant will still be standing if you take your time." Callen said as he came around to her side and extended his hand to Kensi.

"I know… I'm just sort of excited to see everyone." She replied grinning ear to ear. She accepted his hand and using her free one, grasped the door handle and hoisted herself out of the car.

"Well don't worry about that just yet, we're the first ones here." Callen said after a glance down the street. "I don't see the others' cars anywhere on the block. They'll be here soon enough though."

The money was fed into the meter and the two walked across the street towards the restaurant. The building had big windows in the front and flowerboxes along the front walk. It was flanked on either side by a bookstore and an antique shop. All this Kensi took in within moments of seeing the restaurant.

"Is this place new?" she asked as they walked into the building.

"Just opened up last week. Hetty wanted to check it out, heard they served nice tea or something." Callen replied with a roll of his eyes.

Kensi chuckled. "Typical Hetty. Ooooh, Looks like they have good steak too!" she said, pointing to a dish being devoured by another customer.

The hostess soon had them seated at a table with menus at each place. Callen studied his menu as Kensi watched the hostess who was now dealing with an irritable customer at the front of the restaurant. Kensi could hear a few of the words being exchanged and knew something was not right as the hostess's face grew more flustered. Her interest was caught as the customer pushed the hostess down the hall towards the bathroom

As though a reflex, Kensi lifted herself out of the chair and started heading over.

"Where are you going?" Callen asked as he glanced up.

"Bathroom…you know how it is." she answered with a look to her stomach. He nodded in agreement and went back to picking out lunch.

Kensi headed down the hall, passing the bathroom in the process, and stopped in front of a door labeled "Employees Only." She could hear two voices from inside.

"What do you mean he's not here?" the male voice echoed in the room.

"He...He hasn't been in today..." replied the woman, her voice shaking in fear. A loud smack resonated from inside followed by a muffled cry from the woman.

"Well he had BETTER get himself in here with my money. If you value your life you'd call him and tell him I mean business. No one leaves this place until I have his cash in my hands."

With that last sentence resonating in her mind, Kensi swiftly turned and began to walk down the hall ready to fill Callen in on the drama unfolding in the back room. It was then that the door to the room swung open and the angered man appeared in the hall. Though he was wearing a pristine business suit, his tough physique and stubbly face exuded an air of roughness. His tall stature only added to the intimidation that emanated from his body.

The man swore as he saw Kensi in the hallway. "Where the heck do you think you're going?"

She spun around. "I'm going to the bathroom; you know how it is." she said in a sweet voice with a nod to her stomach. Though this tactic got Callen off her case, the same could not be said of the man. He glared at her for a few moments and then started walking towards her. As he got closer she noticed his one hand grasping an item in his suit jacket pocket.

Kensi kept right in character and began to nudge the bathroom door open

He reached out and grabbed her by the arm. "I said, where do you think you're going?"

Kensi turned sharply and swung her arm around to release the grip of her attacker, smacking him into the wall in the process. Her fist was in mid-air when she felt the cold nozzle of a gun pushed against her forehead.

"Don't even think about it," he spewed in a low tone against her ear. She froze in her tracks, heart beating a little faster. "Walk." He commanded as he pushed her towards the main dining room.

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><p>Callen pulled the vibrating phone from his pocket. Checking the caller ID he answered, "Yeah Sam."<p>

"Hey G. Running a little late"

"Yeah, I kinda figured that." Callen replied with a roll of his eyes.

Sensing his reaction Sam continued. "Don't you roll your eyes at me; Deeks got the directions messed up." Callen could hear Deeks putting up a fuss in the background. "Be there in 5."

"See you then."

Callen glanced at the time before he returned the phone to its place, wondering how long it took someone to use the bathroom. He swiveled around in his chair and saw Kensi enter the room, which was fine…until she rounded the corner and the gun to her head came into view. Callen immediately pushed back his chair and turned, facing the duo.

Kensi stood there as the man pulled her closer, into a barrier of sorts from the rest of the restaurant. The nozzle of the gun was still pressed against her head and Kensi tried to muster up the bravest look she could. Fear and adrenaline pulsed through her veins as she realized that not only was her life at stake, but also that of her unborn child. As if instinctively, she moved her arm over her stomach as a protective barrier.

Before Callen could mutter a word the man's voice filled his thoughts. "Make another movement and I put a bullet in her head." His head was right next to Kensi's and the chill in his voice sent shivers down her spine.

A horrified gasp went up from the other patrons as they took notice of the unfolding situation. A few attempted to stand up, but before they could get too far the man pulled his head away from Kensi's and cried out so all could hear, "NO ONE leaves this building until James Tyson delivers my money."

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><p>"There!" yelled Deeks as he pointed to a store in the line of shops.<p>

"Where?" came Sam's frustrated reply.

"There ya go, you passed the restaurant again. And who's supposed to be the Navy Seal?"

"Oh don't you even-"

"Just park over there." Deeks replied while directing Sam to an empty meter across the street.

"That is the last time I ever give you the directions." Sam stated while shutting his door.

"You're the one who passed the restaurant almost five times." came Deeks's retort from the other side of the car.

"We would have been here on time if you hadn't sent me down the wrong road." continued Sam as he walked toward the parking meter and started putting in change.

The bickering continued until a voice called out from behind them, "Gentlemen!" The agents turned to see Hetty approaching. She continued, "May we please leave our petty arguments outside for the sake of our dining experience? There happens to be someone inside who was very much looking forward to this."

"Fine." the agents muttered at the same time.

"Good. Now let us get on before dinner is upon us." And with that Hetty lead the way across the street.

Deeks followed along behind Hetty and Sam, but didn't notice when they stopped in their tracks. He almost let out a cry in protest, but stopped too when he saw the people in the restaurant frozen in their seats.

And then he saw the gun, the hard metal object being pressed deep into his wife's head. He automatically drew is own and sprinted towards a car parked right out front of the restaurant. He crouched down next to it and watched the nightmare playing out before him. His mind filled with confused thoughts, _"What on earth happened? How did Kensi get into that predicament? Where the heck was Callen?" _

With a shake of his head Deeks pushed these thoughts to the backburner and raised his gun to the top of the car hood. He could see the husky man who was controlling his wife push his way through the restaurant, all the while forcing Kensi to go before him. With the man's change of positions Deeks couldn't get a clear shot and that realization alone caused his heart to start beating at a much higher rate.

"Don't do anything stupid Deeks." came a voice from a couple cars down.

"I can't get a shot Sam." he replied, his voice cracking a bit as he spoke. "You?"

"I can see them, but there are too many people in the way. I can't make the shot."

They could hear Hetty in the background talking on her cellphone. "Mr. Beal, I need you and Miss Jones to turn around and return to headquarters. We have a situation at the restaurant. Yes. Mr. Callen and Mrs. Deeks…"

At the sound of his wife's name Deeks turned towards Sam. "What's the plan? We need to get in there!" he exclaimed, the frustrated words spewing from his mouth.

"Slow down Deeks, anything we try to do out here could get Kensi killed. Callen's in there too-"

Sam's words were cut off as a gunshot was fired in the building.

_"KENSI!"_ Deeks screamed in his head.

His nightmare had only just begun.

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><p><strong>AN: So what did you think? Anything I can work on? **

**Thanks so much for reading and PLEASE review! Like I said above, the reviews spur me on to continue writing (especially when I feel I've hit a wall) and are very much appreciated! **

**So you should totally consider hitting the review button, it will def make me smile! :)**


	5. Coming To

**A/N: So this is a LOOONG overdue update and I sincerely apologize. Sadly school comes before writing (I know, that's messed up, right?) so this story took the back-burner for a little bit! **

**I'd definitely suggest flipping back to the previous chapter to refresh your memory on the story. I've done a little bit of prep for you already in this chapter. :)**

**For the record: I do not own NCIS: LA. **

**Now that that's out of the way...**

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><p><em>"He...He hasn't been in today..." replied the woman, her voice shaking in fear. A loud smack resonated from inside followed by a muffled cry from the woman.<em>

_"Well he had BETTER get himself in here with my money. If you value your life you'd call him and tell him I mean business. No one leaves this place until I have his cash in my hands."_

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><p>"Calm down Trisha," he said into the phone, trying to grasp her words. "Take a few deep breaths and start at the beginning."<p>

The voice on the other end paused for a second before blurting out "James, you need to get down here."

He was puzzled at this desperate request until she continued with a shaking voice. "Kyle is here."

James sucked in air as deep worry lines appeared on his forehead. These lines had appeared many a time before and caused his young face to look older than its time. "Where? At the restaurant?" he repeated, trying to wrap his head around her statement.

"Yes, he's here…" she drifted off, not quite sure how her boss was dealing with this information.

"I'm assuming it's not a friendly visit either?" he stated, knowing full well that Kyle only appeared when there was business to be dealt with.

"He was livid James…he-" her voice trembled.

"Did he hurt you Tricia?" He cut in, anger emerging in his tone.

"Not really…I mean it wasn't anything I couldn't take." She answered, feigning confidence.

"Yeah, but Tricia-"

Now she was the one to cut him off. "He…he has a gun with him…He said he wouldn't leave until-"

"Until what?"

"Until you delivered his money. Told me that I'd call and tell you that if I valued my life. James, you have to do something." Her meek and broken voice shattered James's heart for a moment. And as that moment ended anger and rage again permeated his thoughts.

"I'm coming down there." He stated, his mind made up.

"Bring the cops with you, you can't take Kyle down alone." She pleaded with him.

"I've stayed out of the grip of the cops for this long, and I'm not about to bring them into this now."

"James, this is bigger than you, this is-" the sound of a gunshot overpowered her voice.

"Trisha!" James screamed into the phone. No reply. "Trisha, answer me! TRISHA!" He pressed his ear into the receiver and could barely make out the sound of terrified screams coming from the building. "Trisha!" He yelled again.

Her voice was barely audible when she spoke. "Get down here James, and bring some help with you."

He hung onto her every word and began to reply as the dial tone sounded in his ear. He slammed his phone closed, grabbed his keys, and was out of the apartment in an instant. What he would do next even he didn't know.

* * *

><p>The gunshot went off.<p>

Blood curdling screams echoed in the building.

Kensi dropped to the ground, her limp body smacking the cold, hard floor.

Callen was by her side in an instant, cradling her head in one hand and searching her wrist for a pulse with the other. He could feel a pulse, a faint one, but it was there. "Hey Kensi, come on girl, wake up." he muttered to her as he gently shook her shoulders.

The man didn't seem to notice or care that Kensi wasn't in his grip anymore. He walked back to the middle of the room and waved the gun around. "I didn't shoot anyone this time," he stated, pointing to the bullet imbedded in the ceiling, "But next time someone won't be so lucky. Now let me ask again. Will someone do me the honor of closing the window blinds?" His polite talk was absolutely dripping with sarcasm.

His demand was met when a scrawny man dropped the blinds and the room became a few shades darker. Now their only light was coming from the florescent light bulbs hanging from the ceiling above. This didn't bother Callen, but the fact that it closed off all contact with the outside world did. He hoped that the team had seen a bit of what went down or at least knew they were in trouble. Surely when they pulled up and saw the place closed they would know something was up. They would have to, right?

Callen shook the questions from his head and pulled his attention back to Kensi. His fingers traced the red marks on her neck put there by the tight arm of her attacker. "_She shouldn't take this long to come to_." He thought to himself, checking her pulse again as concern for her and her unborn baby began growing by the millisecond. As though sensing his thoughts, Kensi stirred in his arms. "Hey there Kensi, come on, wake up." he continued.

* * *

><p>"Oh dear!" Hetty exclaimed into the phone as the gunshot was heard.<p>

"Was that a-" started Eric on the other end.

"Yes Mr. Beale. I need you and Miss Jones back at OPS now." The urgency in her voice kept Eric from asking any more questions as he started to fear the worst for his friends in the restaurant. The gas pedal was pressed father to the floor as the car sped back to OPS.

Hetty flipped her phone closed and took in the scene before her. Deeks sharply turned back towards the restaurant, gun at the ready, searching for his wife amongst the now chaotic room.

"Do you see her?" he cried out to Sam who was still crouched down a couple of cars over. Sam didn't reply. "Do you see her?" he asked again, the louder volume bringing out the sheer desperation in his voice.

"I don't see either of them." came Sam's even reply.

The restaurant blinds began to shut as Deeks threw his fist into the car he was hiding behind. He didn't mind the fleeting pain that emanated from his knuckles. This pain was lesser than the one gripping his heart as he thought about Kensi bleeding out on the floor of the restaurant. His breathing became shallow as this image grew in intensity in his mind.

He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, trying to push the horror out of his mind. Instead, he tried to focus on another picture in his brain. This one was of his lovely bride walking down the aisle, one step at a time, towards him and their future together.

_Her dress rippled with every step she took, the skirt cascading from the delicate embroidery around her waist and bodice. Her hands clung to a small bouquet of red roses, the color of the flowers popping against the ivory dress. Around her neck hung the necklace her mother wore at her own wedding, one of Kensi's most prized possessions, and she wore it with pride. Her hair dripped out of the clips on her head, framing her face in soft curls. Deeks took in every detail as he stood under the arch at the end of the aisle, but froze when he saw the look in her eyes. The look of love and complete adoration wrapped up in the excitement and longing for their lives which were about to be joined together. It was this that caused his throat to constrict and heart to beat even faster as he gazed at his best friend, his partner, and the sheer joy that emanated from her. Her look said it all and he knew there was no one else on this earth that he'd rather be with._

The image vanished as quickly as it had appeared in his head, leaving Deeks crouched behind the car, tear slipping down his cheek. "Kensi" he whispered to himself.

"Don't give up on her yet." came a reassuring voice from beside him as Hetty reached down and placed a calm hand on his shoulder.

* * *

><p>The voices in her head grew louder as she realized the sounds were coming from around her. The words became clearer and she could make out one voice asking her to wake up. <em>"Wake up from what?"<em> she thought, very disoriented.

"Deeks?" she asked aloud, syllables slurring together. Her whole body felt heavy and her eyelids felt even heavier. She did her best to push them open though, and saw Callen, instead of Deeks, kneeling over her. Confused, she attempted to shake off his arm and sit up on her own. Not only did her huge stomach make this an impossible task, but Callen's firm hands gently laid on her shoulders forced her to give up her task as well.

Callen looked down at her with relief flooding his eyes. "Hey now, slow down for a second. Take some time to get your bearings."

She glanced around the spinning room trying to shake the fog that was still clouding her head. "Wha..what happened?"

"You took a nasty spill Kenz. One moment you were standing there and the next you were on the ground. He had a tight grip on you and I could see the color drain from your face and your eyes getting glazy…" He paused for a second, and then continued. "…I'm sorry Kenz, I shoulda been there sooner."

She began to reply but the man's booming voice caught the attention of both agents.

"Alright, party's over." He called out to the group surrounding the NCIS duo. "Oh look, our little eavesdropper has finally woken up." An evil grin spread on his face as he stared at Kensi.

This time it was Kensi who did the holding back by grabbing Callen's arm as he began to stand. "You just going to leave your pregnant teammate lying on the ground?" she asked, leaning as far up as she could on one elbow, plastic smile pasted on her tense face.

Callen mentally scolded himself as he felt her hand on his arm. This was not the time to be letting his emotions and rage control his actions. "Alright, come on." he said as he gently put his arm around her back, helping her to stand. Kensi could feel the man's stares boring into her as she struggled to get up and gave a polite smile to the gentleman who took her other hand and aided Callen in his task. With the help of Callen and the nice stranger Kensi soon found herself sitting in a chair, as sips of cool water were descending down her dry throat.

Meanwhile the man stood in the middle of the room, flashing the gun around, ordering everyone to deposit their cellphones in a pile at his feet and then make their way to the back dining room. The group was afraid of what would happen if they didn't comply with his new set of orders so the pile of cell phones grew larger by the minute. People grabbed what other belongings they could before being herded into the auxiliary dining area.

It was then that Callen spotted two men not participating in the cell phone purge standing by the back doorway. "_He brought his crew_" Callen thought, calculating this current development into his strategy.

Kensi noticed the men as well, and saw her teammate deep in thought. "Callen, what's the plan?" Kensi whispered so the man couldn't hear. He was too busy with everyone else at the moment to notice anyway.

"I don't think we can do anything at this point but go along with them. If we come out guns blazing now we have no way to control the situation. It would be at least 3 against 2." Callen knew that even though she was put on maternity leave a few weeks ago, Kensi still carried a weapon on her person. It was habit, a habit he knew she would never break.

Kensi nodded her head in agreement.

"No one's been hurt yet," Callen continued, "so let's play this out until we figure a better way."

"I'm sure the team knows something is going on by now." Kensi stated, looking up at Callen.

"I sure hope so." was Callen's simple reply.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, what did you think? Please drop me a line and let me know what I can be doing better (besides more timely updates-I feel really sorry about that!).**

**Have I told you how much these reviews make my day? Because they do and I treasure each one of them! I think I would have stopped after the first chapter if you all hadn't been so kind! THANK YOU! :)**


	6. Searching for Clues

**A/N: HAPPY NCIS:LA DAY! Thanks for all the alerts! I'm really having fun writing this and I hope you enjoy reading it as well! **

**Here's the newest update! **

**For the record, I do not own NCIS:LA. It would make a great Christmas present though, don't ya think? :)**

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><p><em>"Don't give up on her yet." came a reassuring voice from beside him as Hetty reached down and placed a calm hand on his shoulder.<em>

* * *

><p>Deeks jumped up to his feet, pushing Hetty's hand away in the process. He quickly reholstered his gun, and with a hand running through his shaggy hair he brought his mind back to the business at hand. "How did this happen?" he eventually asked.<p>

"I want to know the same thing." Sam added as he walked towards them, hands on hips. "We need to get eyes inside the restaurant, and fast." he continued, knowing there was no time to waste.

"We also need to find out if they were followed here. For all we know they could be the targets." Deeks said as he tried to piece the non-existent pieces together.

"Or they were just innocent bystanders." injected Hetty. She paused and with a look at her watch, continued. "Go ahead and give Mr. Beale and Miss Jones a call, they should be back at headquarters by now."

* * *

><p>Eric bounded up the stairs two at a time with Nell at his heels, catching the attention of startled co-workers as they passed. They scurried through the sliding doors, threw their jackets on the command table, and flung themselves into their chairs.<p>

As Nell waited for her computer to "wake up" she went through the info Eric had given her in the car, wanting to make sure she had all the details correctly. "So, the gun was fired in the restaurant.."

"Yes. I heard it for myself when I was on the phone with Hetty." replied Eric, eyes glued to the computer monitor, willing it to log-in faster.

"And the last time they saw Kensi…"

"…the gun was being pressed against her head" finished Eric in defeat.

"But that doesn't mean anything," continued Nell, as she typed in her password, "I mean we are talking about Kensi here. You saw her a few weeks ago, she was still kicking Deeks's butt in the gym… at least he let her kick his butt…"

Nell smiled as he remembered the team coming from their workout, sweat dripping off their faces, clothing damp to the touch. Kensi was boasting about how she "still got it" and was able to get the best of her husband, even being 6 months pregnant. Deeks just followed behind with a smug look on his face realizing that letting her win was the best decision he could have made. If he hadn't…oh boy, would that have been a long night!

"That was a few months ago, Nell." Eric replied as he put on his phone headset. "I'm not too sure she could bend down to tie her shoes at this point!" He let out a brief chuckle before growing somber again. "But you're right. It really doesn't mean anything. Besides, Callen's there. He wouldn't let anything happen to her."

Nell nodded her head in agreement and turned back to her computer as the ring of the phone filled the room.

"Op-" Eric started to answer but was cut off by one of the agents.

"Eric, it's Sam. Glad you got back to OPS so quickly. Look, we need to see what's going on inside the restaurant, see what kind of damage has been done. Can you find out if there are any surveillance systems inside?"

"Working on that now." Eric said as he put the call on speaker to appease Nell's imploring eyes. He turned back to the computer and pulled up a program to begin his search.

"Nell" came Deeks's voice across the speakerphone.

Nell poised her hands on the keyboard, ready to get to work. "Right here." She called out.

"We need to figure out if Callen and Kensi are the targets or if they just walked into this thing. Take a look at any traffic cams in the area, and the ATM cam in the bank across the street.

"On it!" she said, relieved to be able to do something to help out the agents.

A few minutes of silence before the beeping of a computer was heard on the street. Eric's voice soon followed. "I'm picking up a surveillance system inside the restaurant but it's protected by a high level of encryption, might take a little while to crack."

"I need you to get inside it, Eric." replied Sam.

"On a different note," Nell cut in, "I'm making progress on the ATM camera. Looks like Callen and Kensi pulled up around 1230 and went inside. A few minutes of nothing until a van drives by and drops off a few men right in front of the restaurant."

"Can you pull the plate?" asked Deeks.

"I'm already fixing up the image and I'll let you know when I run it." Nell replied, hand moving the mouse around sharply.

"Did all the men go inside the building?" inquired Sam.

"No, only one. It looks like the others walked down the street. I'm sending the video to your phones now."

"Alright, we'll take a look. Let us know if you find anything else."

"Will do, Sam." confirmed Eric before hanging up.

"Okay, let's do this." Nell said in the cheeriest voice she could muster as the duo concentrated on their separate tasks, both hoping the info they sought would lead them straight to the bad guys.

* * *

><p>"Let's go, everybody move!" screamed the man as he stood over the pile of cellphones. A slight form of hysteria set in as people started to realize the predicament they were in. The man's threats caused some to act quickly as they practically pushed people aside to get to the auxiliary dining room. Others were frozen in fear and their only form of motivation came when the man pointed the gun in their direction, horrific joy spreading on his face.<p>

Kensi started to shift in the chair, edging herself towards the edge.

"Are you okay to stand?" Callen asked with concern. He was still worried for her, but knew that if they didn't move the man may soon come over.

Kensi looked up and simply nodded. She placed a hand on the back of the chair and began to push herself up when a shot of fire gripped her abdomen. It took her by surprise and she froze for a second, letting out a surprised "Ooh" as she slowly fell back into the chair. Callen dropped to the ground in front of her, his eyes were at level with hers, and began calling her name. She cut him off before he could finish.

"I'm fine Callen…" now she took a pause as the pain strengthened and she bent, ever so slightly, over her stomach. She took a deep breath and could feel Callen's hand rubbing her knee in support.

"Really…it's just…Karma again." she said between breaths.

The look in his eyes didn't change though. Not even when her stiff back relaxed and her breathing evened out again. No, he needed his team to be in tip-top shape to perform well when on the job. Her being in pain was simply not acceptable, both on an official and friendly level, and she should be home resting….

…Only this wasn't an OP. And though she is a teammate, she was placed on maternity leave weeks ago. She shouldn't even be this close to a gun in hostile hands. This was simply just a lunch with friends that went horribly awry.

Her hand fell on his as she gave a light squeeze. "All better now."

Callen wasn't too sure. "Why don't you just si-"

Kensi cut him off again. "No, we need to get in there." She paused. "Callen, I don't want to be caught in his arms again." She finished, a protective arm now holding her belly.

He knew she was right. "Okay, let's go, but we'll take it slowly this time." He stressed the word slowly as he grabbed her arm, helping to lift her off the chair.

"Thanks." Kensi said with a smile as she stood up and got her bearings. With one hand at her back, the other on her belly, she and Callen moved towards the auxiliary room, stopping short when they heard the man's voice call out behind them, "You two, FREEZE!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So what did you think? Please drop me a review and tell me your thoughts, I LOVE reading them! Plus I'm looking for baby name suggestions! :)**


	7. Bonds

**A/N: Hey everyone, thanks for sticking with me! I'm trying to update as quickly as I can and school can make this task a little daunting at times, haha.**  
><strong>Anyway, I've finished with this chapter and really can't wait to hear your thoughts on it! Please leave a review!<strong>  
><strong>Again, I do not own NCIS: LA. Santa Claus couldn't afford it this year…<strong>

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><p><em>With one hand at her back, the other on her belly, she and Callen moved towards the auxiliary room, stopping short when they heard the man's voice call out behind them, "You two, FREEZE!"<em>

* * *

><p>Callen grabbed Kensi's arm and gave her tense muscles a reassuring squeeze. The two turned to see the man standing in the middle of the room, gun pointed at them for the second time that day. Silence prevailed as the agents anticipated the man's next actions.<br>"Aren't you forgetting something?" the man whispered, eyes narrowed. His men snickered at the statement, eyeing the agents up carefully.  
>Callen, not sure what the man was referring to, was silent and only turned slightly to keep all the men in his view.<br>"Your phone!" the man called out breaking the silence, using his gun to motion to Callen's pockets. "We all know you must have one." he said tauntingly.  
>Callen let out a sigh. <em>"There goes our lifeline." <em>he thought as he fumbled through his pocket and grasped the metal object. He was hoping the man overlook this action and was honestly hesitant to hand it over now…But he knew there was more of them then there was of him and Kensi shouldn't be fighting in her condition. The best bet was to comply for now, until some other way was made clearer.

He pulled out the phone and started walking, only to be cut off by the man again.  
>"No." he called out in a booming voice, "Let her bring it."<br>Callen froze and was about to argue when he felt Kensi's hand on his arm.  
>"Cal-" she began.<br>"No." he whispered, not even willing to consider her request.  
>"Callen, let me." she said forcefully.<br>"Yeah, let her." mimicked one of the cronies.  
>The gravity of the situation set in when the crony reached for his gun and trained it at Kensi's head. "Let her." he repeated again, this time in a deeper voice.<br>Kensi reached for the phone in Callen's hand and he relaxed his grip, letting her take it from him. With all the power her pregnant body could exude, she walked up to the man and awkwardly bent over, placing Callen's phone on the pile.  
>"And yours?" the man asked as he looked Kensi over, an evil smile on his face.<br>She reached into her pocket and bent over once more, adding hers to the top of the stack.  
>The man reached for her hand to steady her as she stood back up. His grip was tight and lasting, making both Kensi and Callen uncomfortable. He leaned over and whispered into her ear "Now if you and your husband listen to the rules and follow them next time, I'm sure we'll get along just fine. If not..." jamming the gun nozzle into her side to get his point across.<br>Her eyes widened as she felt the metal object, all the while fighting the urge to correct his mistake. She decided she wasn't going to please the man with a correction, or a gasp or a cry, despite the shot of pain the pressure produced around her already uncomfortable stomach.

Callen didn't see the gun or hear the man's words but knew the man was too close to Kensi to be doing any good. He rushed forward, stopping short when the man abruptly shoved Kensi aside and headed directly for Callen. She staggered away, attempting to regain her balance, the baby not helping her efforts.

"Now you take her and get into the room." he called out to Callen.

Callen was ready to comply and reached his hand out to Kensi who grasped it and steadied herself out. The man let out a hideous laugh and his cronies joined in as Kensi's face grew a deeper shade of red. Callen ignored their reactions and began leading Kensi towards the dining room, her shaky steps revealing her feelings through the stoic face she currently hid behind.  
>The cronies were only too happy to comply with their leader's wishes and at his command slammed the doors shut behind Callen and Kensi. Kensi jumped at the sound and her heart sunk as she heard the key turning in the lock, sealing them in until rescue came.<p>

* * *

><p>"Yes Director, I'll keep you informed" she said before snapping her phone closed.<br>Inhaling deeply she closed her eyes a moment, collecting her thoughts. It was always stressful when one of her agents was in trouble, but this team...they had always claimed a special place in her heart. Maybe she'd gotten too close, maybe it was "unprofessional," but one way or another these agents became her family and she realized she'd do anything for them. Until now...  
>She shifted uneasily as tension raced through her body at the thought that Callen and Kensi were inside that restaurant, a restaurant she had recommended they go to, potentially injured with no means of communication. She couldn't see them, she couldn't hear them, she couldn't be a potential calming voice in their ears. They were in there alone and she was out here blind. It was a situation she had hoped she'd never be in.<br>She exhaled slowly and pushed her thoughts to the backburner, the only thing to concentrate on now was bringing them both out of the restaurant alive.  
>Walking over towards Sam's car, she cleared her throat behind the two agents, pulling them away from the phone they were looking at.<br>"Hetty." Sam acknowledged.  
>"Looks as though Mr. Beale and Miss Jones were able to help, yes?"<br>"Yeah, we're looking at the video feed Nell sent us from the ATM camera across the street" Sam explained.  
>With no big screen around to put the footage on, Deeks placed his phone into Hetty's hands and pressed play.<br>"So we know the man pulled up to the restaurant in a van, accompanied by at least three other men. Two walked down the street, the other drove the van out of sight." explained Deeks as he talked through the actions being displayed on the small screen.  
>"But see, they discuss something before parting ways." Deeks continued, pointing to the two men on the sidewalk.<br>"Ahh, yes." she said. "Do we know what they're saying?"  
>"That's what Deeks and I have been trying to figure out. They're not fully facing the camera and I can't make it out."<br>"This is when Mrs. Deeks's skills would come in handy."  
>At the mention of his wife's name, Deeks glanced towards the restaurant, worry etched on his face. Hetty mentally kicked herself, but kept the questions rolling, hoping to distract him again.<br>"Do we have an ID on the man in the suit? Plates on the van? Do we know where they were heading?"  
>"Nell's running the plate and Eric's working on facial recognition. They'll call back when they've got more info." Sam said, glancing at his teammate who was staring into space.<br>"Good." Hetty encouraged. "I just got off the phone with the director and filled him in on what's going on. I've also contacted LAPD to set up a perimeter and block off the street. We need to start evacuating people now, but do it quietly, I don't want this man knowing we're onto him yet. We need more information on him before we let that happen."

* * *

><p>Confusion reigned in the neighboring store as Deeks and Sam made their way through the rows of books, urging everyone to calmly leave the store and head home.<br>"That was a gunshot?" gasped one lady who picked up a Zumba book from the shelf. "Remember that noise Deborah? I told you it was something important." she said, turning to the woman standing next to her who was clutching a few books of her own.  
>"Deborah thought it was a stack of books falling in the back room, but I knew it had to be something more." she explained to Deeks who had exasperation written all over his face.<br>"Well ma'am, the only thing I can say is that we need you to move along and head back to your cars."  
>"But, my book!" she exclaimed pushing it into his view, completely missing the announce seeping from his pores. "I need to get this to get in shape for my daughter's wedding."<br>His patience was now wearing thin and he was not in the mood for pleasantries. Plus the fact that she was here complaining about her fitness program while his wife was potentially injured on the other side of the wall...it was suddenly all too much.  
>Sam saw his distress and stepped right in. "I'm sure you can find some Richard Simmons online and start Sweatin to the Oldies tonight." he rattled off as he gently took their books and escorted the last of the shoppers out of the store.<br>"Deeks?" Sam called cautiously from the doorway when he noticed his teammate wasn't behind him.  
>"I can't do this." Deeks blurted out as he moved forward, hand rubbing through his scruffy hair. The look in his eyes was wild, as though someone had lit a fire in them that couldn't be snuffed.<br>"Wha-" Sam started but was quickly cut off by Deeks, his volume growing louder.  
>"I just can't stand out <em>here <em>while Callen and Kensi are in _there_" pointing towards the wall "They could be dead...injured...who knows what else."  
>Deeks paused a moment to catch his breath and look his teammate dead in the eyes. "We need to get in there, <em>now<em>." he finished as he attempted to push past Sam.  
>The older agent wouldn't have any of it though, and grabbed Deeks by his arm, yanking him backwards.<br>"Get a hold of yourself Deeks." he said quietly, his grip hard. "You do something stupid and Hetty will pull you outta here."  
>"Neither of us want that." he added as Deeks stood for a moment, taking in what he said.<br>It was all Sam could do to not stand there and remind Deeks that his partner-one he couldn't imagine working without-was in that restaurant right alongside Kensi, facing whatever situation the criminal put them in. Plus, Kensi was his teammate too, and even though she was Deek's wife, Sam would do everything he could to help her. Deeks wasn't the only one worried sick here.  
>Sam knew this spiel wouldn't get them anywhere, so instead he looked him straight in the eyes.<br>"We're doing everything we can to get them out of there, but if you burst in there now, guns blazing, you could get one or both of them killed. There are civilians in there too Deeks, we need to proceed delicately so we can get them all out alive."  
>The reality of the situation was too much, and shiver raced across his body at the thought of the scene next-door.<br>"I know you know all of this, and if my wife was in there I'd feel the same way as you." Sam continued in a softer voice. "Keep your head in the game, Deeks, and we'll get her back in your arms soon."  
>Deeks only hoped that Sam was right.<p>

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks so much for reading and for everyone that reviewed the last chapter. Special thanks to **_**7Seven7, Suuz-5-5, tivamcabby5, and TripleThreat007**_** for your baby name suggestions!**  
><strong>I'd love to interact with all the readers a little more, so let me pose this question to you—Do you think the baby should be a boy or a girl? I haven't decided yet and if you leave me a really good "argument" I could easily be swayed! Keep the names coming too!<strong>  
><strong>Moral of the story-if you're still reading this story, please leave a review-comments and critiques are all welcome (just please be kind about it!)<strong>


	8. Realizations and Rule Breakers

**A/N: Thanks so much for the positive reviews for the last chapter! I really enjoyed reading through your suggestions and thoughts on the gender of the baby! You all are fantastic and gave me a lot to think about! THANK YOU!**

**Here's the next chapter!**

_**(and no, I don't own NCIS:LA. Just in case you wanted to know) (ps. I don't know the technology at all, so if I "misuse" something I apologize!)**_

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><p>"<em>Get a hold of yourself Deeks." he said quietly, his grip hard. "You do something stupid and Hetty will pull you outta here."<em>

Those words echoed in Deeks's mind as he followed Sam out of the newly deserted bookstore. He knew Sam was right, he'd probably never admit it aloud but deep down inside, he knew. Plus the look on Hetty's face said the same thing as she walked towards them.

"Problems?" she probed wondering why her agents were exiting the building so far behind the patrons they were evacuating.

"Nope, we've got everything under control" Deeks jumped in before Sam could say anything. He just glanced at Deeks and gave a nod of approval.

"Well then" continued Hetty with a skeptical look, knowing time was of the essence, "I just got off the phone with Miss Jones who has information for the two of you. She asked that you call-"

"I'm on it" called Deeks as he snatched the phone out of his pocket, walking a few strides away as he made the call.

Hetty turned towards Sam. "Everything really okay?" she asked kindly.

"Ehh, yeah. We're good" came Sam's even reply.

Hetty just looked up at Sam, her stare demanding more information.

"Ya know, he's definitely struggling with it. But who wouldn't?" Sam answered; surprised by the fact he was suddenly defending Deeks.

"It's expected, Mr. Hanna. I know you're not normally paired up with him but as long as his partner is in there" she nodded towards the restaurant "you need to keep an eye on him. One compulsive move and.."

"I get it Hetty. I'm pretty sure he does too."

"Good" was her firm reply. She softened again before asking, "And you?"

"I'm just focusing on getting them both outta there alive." He said stoically, though his eyes betrayed a bit of his true emotions.

"And that's all I ask." Hetty finished with a reassuring smile.

* * *

><p>The click of the lock struck a chord with each person in the room as the congested noise died down to a minimum. All eyes were on Callen and Kensi as they shuffled in, the room not able to comfortably contain them all. People were standing everywhere, shifting uneasily from one foot to the other, not sure what to do next.<p>

Callen looked at Kensi and watched as she gained her composure, sealing up her emotions and fears somewhere deep inside, and put on the face of an NCIS agent ready to tackle whatever came her way.

"What do we do now?" asked a man to no one in particular. "How the heck are we going to get out of this place?"

"We can't stay here forever," voiced a concerned woman.

A man in the corner cleared his voice and spoke loudly for all to hear. "The best thing we can do at this point is take a seat and remain calm."

Snickers filled the room with his statement as the people looked one to another.

"You can't surely expect us to just sit here and wait, do you?" came a voice from the opposite side of the room followed by a bunch of "yeah's" from around him.

"The man is right," Callen spoke up, walking farther into the room. "There's nothing else we can do, unless you want to get us all killed." The room quieted down a bit with his last statement. "So let's all take a seat and wait this out so nobody gets hurt."

"But what about my family." called out an indignant man with a toddler in his arms.

"Look sir, I don't want to be in here as much as the next person, but right now the best thing to do is to remain calm for the sake of your son and your wife."

The man tightened the hold on his child but his facial features lightened as he realized he had no other choice. He turned to his wife and gave her hand a squeeze, leading her to an empty chair. The rest of the room took notice and slowly but surely the group began finding seats.

Callen took in the scene before him, now being able to clearly see the cold walls that surrounded them. The five tables scattered about the room left few chairs to choose from, leaving some of the group to find their resting places on the tiled floor. The room was window-less which explained the mirrors and artwork hung around in an attempt to make the room feel bigger. He looked towards the ceiling and spotted a camera positioned in the corner, green light on, obviously recording something. _"Hopefully it was being fed to Eric somehow"_ he thought to himself. Callen's eye caught a closed door on the opposite side of the room, lacking identification.

"I'm gonna…"

"Mmhmm." Kensi cut him off knowingly, her eyes also on the door. Callen chuckled to himself; he should have known she'd be surveying the situation too.

"Okay, are you gonna be fine-"

"Yes Callen," she said nodding her head, her eyes glittering with a smile. "I'll be fine."

Callen playfully raised an eyebrow in response and turned, making his way across the room.

Kensi rolled her eyes as he left, rubbing a hand across the back of her neck. The room had definitely settled down and she slowly picked her way past the tables towards the far wall.

"Excuse me" she called out to a man stowing his belongings underneath the table, taking up most of the walkway.

"Oh, sorry!" he acknowledged as he jumped up, turning towards Kensi.

She was about to reply when her back tied into a sharp knot of pain that radiated around her belly, momentarily halting her actions.

"Miss?" the man kindly called, watching as her hands tensely made their way towards her stomach. "Miss, why don't you sit down?" he asked when she didn't reply.

"No…I'm good" Kensi said tensely, shaking her head for emphasis. Even still, she searched for the table with her hand, giving it a tight squeeze when she found it. "Really, thank you so much" she continued, mustering up a smile to sell her story.

He nodded and slowly faded into the background as Kensi focused on her watch in front of her. Both hands on the table at this point she counted as the seconds clicked by, the pain almost taking her breath away.

"_This is just another shot of karma, right?" _she reasoned as an uneasy feeling descended upon her body like a heavy cloth. She thought back to what the doctor said at her last appointment, struggling to remember what the difference was between false labor and the real thing.

"_Deeks would know"_ she thought to herself with a smile, picturing Deeks on his recliner at home with his face in a baby book, one of the many he had added to his library. Suddenly, with the pain continuing to race around her stomach, she really wished he was right there with her. Not that she wanted him to be in this hostage situation too…just there to reassure her and tell her it was just another Braxton hicks, no big deal really.

Her muscles relaxed as the clock hit 45 seconds and she let out a deep sigh, stretching out her back as she leaned over the table._"45 seconds"_ she thought, letting out another slow breath of air. She chanced a glance around the room, relieved to see that Callen was busy talking with someone and most likely didn't see this whole ordeal. There was just something about this she couldn't put her finger on, and she didn't want to worry him until she figured it out for herself.

A voice shook Kensi out of her headspace. "Are you okay dearie?" asked an older women who was sitting at the table, concern filling her eyes.

"Yes, thank you" replied Kensi as she put on a smile, brushing her brown locks behind her ear. The older women smiled as Kensi stood upright, her hand naturally tracing a smooth line along her belly.

"How far along are you?" she asked with a sparkle in her eye.

"37 weeks" came Kensi's quick reply, the number easily popping into her head.

The women's smile grew a bit broader. "Aww, that little one will be out and in your arms before you know it! Take it from me, rest up now while you can, because once that little one comes you're never going to get enough of it!"

Kensi let out a nervous chuckle as a feeling of uneasiness swept over her again. She forced the feeling deep down inside just as the women stuck out her hand.

"The name's Marilyn."

"Kensi" said the agent, returning the shake.

"Lovely to meet you, dearie."

* * *

><p>The cups in her hands sloshed hot liquids to and fro as a loud "UUUUGGGHH" emanated from the room. A started Nell walked through the door in time to watch Eric throw himself backwards in his chair, glasses dangling from one hand while the other smushed his face like an octopus. The doors swooshed closed behind Nell and for a fleeting second she considered turning around and slipping out again. But Eric looked so cute when he was frustrated, and since this happened only once in a blue moon she decided she was going to take advantage of it while she could.<p>

Walking across the room, she placed one of the cups in her hand on the desk next to his computer mouse as he continued pulsing back and forth in the chair. "What's wrong, Eric?" she probed.

He uncovered an eye and looked up at her. "Just about everything" he replied in his usual dramatic way. "I can't get into the darn cameras in the restaurant! I've tried every-" he stopped sharply, noticing the cup in Nell's hand. "Is that…coffee?" he asked in disbelief.

Nell chuckled to herself as she remembered the first time Hetty caught them sneaking beverages and food into their computer room. That had been the first time, and the last.

"Nope," she said simply, "I have tea." Eric looked at her with a mixture of skepticism that gave way to jealousy as she took a nice long slip.

Nell couldn't hold out much longer. With a nod to the desk she added "_You_ have coffee."

Eric snapped the chair upright with a start causing a small smile on Nell's face. Grabbing up the cup he clutched it to his chest, soaking in the warmth it brought. With a nervous eye towards Nell he commented "You're a bad influence on me."

"Whatever do you mean?" responded Nell with feigned ignorance.

"Hetty's gonna flip a cow when she finds out. And she always finds out." Eric said, thinking back to the oreo incident years earlier.

"Oh, don't be such a worrywart Eric" she admonished. "Besides, Hetty already knows. Just got off the phone with her and she approved…almost insisted actually" she added as an afterthought.

The past few days and been sticky at best and extremely hard for the "tech" team as they worked with Callen and the others to catch the killer of their last case. Quite a few all-nighters had been pulled and after lunch today both Nell and Eric were looking forward to a few hours of rest. Therefore, because of this current situation Hetty was only all too willing to make an exception on the beverages, needing Nell and Eric at top energy for the situation at hand.

Eric didn't ask any further questions, simply enjoying the beverage in his hand and appreciating every sip. The look of contentment flew from his face as the phone's ring cut through the momentary silence.

"Don't worry," Nell persuaded with a chuckle, "She knows. Trust me."

"It's not her I'm worried about at this moment" Eric explained "It's Sam and Deeks who will have my hide when I tell them I still haven't hacked the cameras."

"Ah-ha" Nell acknowledged with a sharp nod of her head. "Well I've got you covered" and with that she answered the ringing phone "It's Nell"

"Deeks. You called?" came the male voice on the other end.

"Yeah. I nailed down the plates of the van. It's from a rental company owned by Kyle Jarvis who facial recognition picked up as the man in the suit" returned Nell's brisk voice.

"Does he have a record?" asked Deeks.

"He's been convicted on a DWI and suspected for running a gambling ring from his brother's night club in the city, NewScene. LAPD was close to shutting him down last fall but somehow Jarvis caught wind of it and moved his operations underground. They haven't seen him since."

"Why has he popped up here?" Deeks wondered aloud as Sam and Hetty walked up behind him. "Putting you on speaker, Nell" he warned before he hit the button, clueing the other two in to what was going on.

"I'm still working on that one. The restaurant is owned by James Tyson and I'm running down connections now. Maybe Tyson was in on Jarvis's gambling ring?" she asked, offering the only logical conclusion she could come to.

"Could be" Sam said thoughtfully, trying to put the pieces into place. "And the van? Where was that headed?"

"Eric and I tracked that on Kaleidoscope heading back to the restaurant. It made one stop, to a residence about a half hour away, a house owned by James Tyson, the restaurant owner himself.

"Lends credence to your theory" added Hetty before Nell continued.

"We're working on locating James now, his vehicle wasn't at his house when the van arrived. Hopefully finding him will clean some things up."

"And the cameras?" asked Deeks.

Eric let out a quiet sigh before joining the conversation. "Still a work in progress. It's been set up with a high encryption level which means it's a safe bet Tyson was hiding or protecting something."

"Good. Keep up the work Mr. Beale. Let us know when you've located James Tyson, Miss Jones. I'll send someone out to collect the white van and its driver before it reaches our barricades."

"On it" the duo answered in unison as the phone was hung up.

"See, it wasn't that bad" commented Nell with a half-smile. Eric just looked at her with the cup in his hands, taking a nice long sip of its contents.

Once the liquid disappeared he pushed the cup aside. "Let's get down to business."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading! If you want to leave a review I'd very VERY much appreciate it! :) Thanks!**


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